The market for Changzhou Almaden Co., Ltd.'s (SZSE:002623) shares didn't move much after it posted weak earnings recently. We did some digging, and we believe the earnings are stronger than they seem.

The Impact Of Unusual Items On Profit

To properly understand Changzhou Almaden's profit results, we need to consider the CN¥59m expense attributed to unusual items. It's never great to see unusual items costing the company profits, but on the upside, things might improve sooner rather than later. We looked at thousands of listed companies and found that unusual items are very often one-off in nature. And, after all, that's exactly what the accounting terminology implies. Changzhou Almaden took a rather significant hit from unusual items in the year to March 2024. As a result, we can surmise that the unusual items made its statutory profit significantly weaker than it would otherwise be.

That might leave you wondering what analysts are forecasting in terms of future profitability. Luckily, you can click here to see an interactive graph depicting future profitability, based on their estimates.

Our Take On Changzhou Almaden's Profit Performance

As we mentioned previously, the Changzhou Almaden's profit was hampered by unusual items in the last year. Because of this, we think Changzhou Almaden's underlying earnings potential is as good as, or possibly even better, than the statutory profit makes it seem! On the other hand, its EPS actually shrunk in the last twelve months. The goal of this article has been to assess how well we can rely on the statutory earnings to reflect the company's potential, but there is plenty more to consider. So while earnings quality is important, it's equally important to consider the risks facing Changzhou Almaden at this point in time. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Changzhou Almaden you should know about.

Today we've zoomed in on a single data point to better understand the nature of Changzhou Almaden's profit. But there are plenty of other ways to inform your opinion of a company. For example, many people consider a high return on equity as an indication of favorable business economics, while others like to 'follow the money' and search out stocks that insiders are buying. So you may wish to see this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks that insiders are buying.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.